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Bikini Robot Army
Bikini Robot Army is an American rock-based dance band from New York City, New York, founded by Val Broeksmit. The first fully sampled reorganized montage dance-rock pop art music, as well as one of the first rock and roll internet filesharing produced band . Original members Val Broeksmit, Brandon Geiger and Matt Goldsborough formed the backbone while in college. After graduation, the three went their separate ways but would continue to send recorded music tracks to each other via email and other file sharing programs. Early history Before forming Bikini Robot Army, the three original members formed The Good Time Charlies. They played small shows in and around New York City and Philadelphia and recorded an album. When Broeksmit learned to use Pro Tools, the recording become more and more professional and marketable. Getting the attention of Keith Richards at a New York show, Broeksmit brought his computer to the tour bus, where he and Richards put down the basis for the track "The Cocaine Lady", which became the title track from the next album that came to be known as Old Soldiers. Soon after, The Good Time Charlies fell apart. Brandon Geiger went on to form The Burnside Bums in Philadelphia, and, along with Matt Goldsborugh, formed The Great Unknown, also in Philadelphia. Both bands recorded and rewrote tracks Broeksmit sent them via email. Broeksmit began to sample popular instrumental songs from the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. Where rap musicians would sample small lick from popular songs, and build beats around them, Broeksmit would sample the entire songs and cut them together with other popular instrumentals until they formed something completely new, indistinguishable from their original form. After the music was 'put to hard drive', Broeksmit would write and record original vocals on these songs. He was one of the first to did this. His song 'Pretty But is it Art' caught the attention of the like minded work of DJ, Moby, who contributed to the album that was to be Old Soldiers under the newly named Bikini Robot Army. Bikini Robot Army released their first album, Old Soldiers, independently, and it went on sale on iTunes, Amazon.com and most online music retail stores in February 2007. In September 2007 Andrew Jarecki, the film director and writer of the theme song to the television show Felicity, joined the band as a drummer, co-writer and backing vocalist. Jarecki directed the documentary Capturing the Friedmans, which was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Feature length Documentary. He is currently in post production on his debut feature film All Good Things. Present After impressive initial sales on iTunes, Bikini Robot Army went on tour, during which tracks were recorded for a future live album. In 2008 Broeksmit won seven Awards for his work on the popular Ourstage.com, including 3 "best song" wins.http://www.ourstage.com/profile/rozinante Broeksmit is currently working on Bikini Robot Army's next studio album, tentatively titled Cat Theft Electric, to be released February 2011. When asked in an interview with Spin magazine who his biggest influence was, Broeksmit answered, "Keith Richards, all riffs lead back to Richards".http://www.spinner.com/2008/05/20/ourstage-snapshot-bikini-robot-army/